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The Quietly Victorious Life of a Remarkably Godly Woman

Minette Victoria Ramdeen was born on May 17th, 1933, in Port Maria, St Mary, Jamaica to parents Oswald Williams and Margaret Johnson.

True to her middle name, her entire life was a testament to victory in the face of adversity.

At a young age, her mother passed away and for a short period in her life she found herself in an orphanage due to circumstances beyond her control.  This did not vanquish her spirit.  Indeed… it only deepened her faith in God, and made her more focused on pleasing him.

As she grew up, she very quickly demonstrated to the adults around her that she was no ordinary child.  She was soft spoken and demonstrated a remarkable intellect, so much so that she was skipped to grades ahead of her peers as she exceeded the expectations of those put in charge of her care.

Unlike many of her peers, she was not focussed on just having a good time. She applied herself to her studies and showed such promise that her teachers went to her father (who had planned for her to become a seamstress, which was considered a safe and respectable profession for a woman at that time) and begged him to allow her to go to school to fulfill her dreams of higher education.  He relented, and she went on to teach, and then to become a senior government pharmacist who spent her professional life in the service of her country, working in almost every government hospital pharmacy in the country.  She became a mother figure for many pharmacists who went on to work in various parts of the world.  Some of these students later encountered her children abroad, and, upon recognizing the connection, greeted them with hugs and spoke effusively on how unique she had been among those in charge of them in terms of her patience, kindness, and her readiness to help when imparting knowledge to them. These past students explained how she became a beloved mother figure to them because of her quiet, calm, dignified yet humble demeanour. She worked in that profession until she retired.

At the tender age of 21, her innocence attracted the attention of her first and only love, Edson Wilton Ramdeen, who ardently wooed and later married her. He preceded her passing by almost a year, and her last words to him were "I love you forever."  The marriage produced 10 children.

Minette was religious and believed God blessed her with every single one of her children.  She approached motherhood with the same fervour that she worshipped God.  She taught each child to read by the age of three, and instilled a deep love for God in each of them (that all agree was her greatest gift to her children) all while juggling the demands of a taxing professional and personal life.  Her children were taught the bible in such a manner that it became a part of their identity, and daily family prayers with songs before school were the norm.  She sang constantly as she went about her day.  She never shouted, she spoke quietly, but her children knew that their soft-spoken mother had an iron will that would tolerate no deviation from the manners or morals that she instilled in them. They all knew that they had to "toe the line" and that "D-O or G-O" was the quiet rejoinder when teenage rebellion sprang up against her home, church, and school regime.  Her children never doubted her love, and her sacrifices to keep her children with her at all costs until they were ready to fly on their own, told the story of a woman who was determined to right the wrongs committed against her in her childhood, by making sure her children never felt that pain.  She took every obstacle to her children's well-being, and every tear she shed, and turned them into a lesson on overcoming, and a prayer for their eternal happiness.

Minette had a rich religious life, loved her church, her pastor, and participated fully until she was no longer able to go physically.  She made it her mission to guide the soul of everyone she met to God, and made sure that hymns and sermons were playing 24/7 at home until the day she died.  She left a positive spiritual mark on all whose lives she touched.

She lived her life by example, and so taught her children by her actions that love for God is strengthening, and that having good values, self respect, dignity, humility and decency is true strength. She was always ready to forgive, and to believe in the best in humanity.

Somewhere between the night of August 18th, and the morning of August 19th, 2025, she passed away peacefully in her sleep after praying and singing hymns incessantly in the days before.  She was prepared.  She finally went to meet her beloved Jesus.  She is happy…she is safe.

Please share your memories of Minette or express condolences to her family through our online guestbook. The online guestbook can be found by scrolling below to the Guestbook box below and clicking on the 'View & Sign' button. You can share your thoughts and memories, upload pictures and/or light a candle.

We will also be live-streaming and recording the service. To view the service virtually scroll below to the Funeral Service box and click on the 'Watch Video' button.